


Chase Can't Keep Anything In His Pants

by Plaguetastic (MortNoire)



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Male Pregnancy, Mpreg, No Romance, No Smut, No Spoilers, Other, There's a birth scene at the end so if you don't wanna see that don't read, Trans Chase Devineaux, Trans Male Character, pls don't judge me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:40:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24388330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MortNoire/pseuds/Plaguetastic
Summary: Chase is a dumb himbo that gets himself pregnant and somehow puts it off until it's far too late to deal with it responsibly.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	Chase Can't Keep Anything In His Pants

“That’s a nice turtleneck. Is it new?”

“ _Please_ , Miss Argent, stay focused on the mission.”

Julia Argent couldn’t say she would be surprised at the ex-Inspector’s attitude, she was quite used to his dismissiveness towards her. It bothered her less as of late, after she figured out the root cause - he was jealous, perhaps intimidated, of her intellect. At first she suspected it may have been because she was merely a junior inspector, then later perhaps because she was a woman. Even so, it’s been happening more frequently these past few months, and it’s not like she of all people would not notice the change. The strange behaviours; grumpiness and snappiness, the general jumpiness, among many other little things… Still, it was not her business to pry. She just hoped that whatever it was, it wouldn’t interfere with the mission. And that it would end soon, because he was getting irritating.

The two of them had parked the car hidden just off the mountainside road, and were walking towards their destination. Where they were, and what treasure they were trying to protect, did not matter to Chase Devineaux. There was only one thing he cared about here, and that was capturing Carmen Sandeigo. He trailed behind a bit as Julia walked on ahead. Without thinking, he brought a hand to his midsection, to the solid mound hidden under the oversized turtleneck. He was glad that his diversion seemed to have worked, but wondered how much longer he could hide it from one as insightful as her.

____________________________________________________________________

Several months ago had been the start of Chase’s… complications.

He was sat in the bathroom, staring in disbelief down at the white stick between his fingers. He recalled his encounter. The handsome devil at the bar… They got a little tipsy, a little flirty, and then they went over to his place…

And the condom broke.

It was only a tiny hole, a tiny little dribble. Past Chase didn’t think anything of it. Past Chase was an idiot, because current Chase is thinking a whole hell of a lot about it right now.

After a few weeks of vomiting spells, he had finally relented and brought a pregnancy test. Now, all he could do was stare at the double lines. It was just a precaution, but he never really thought…

He ran his fingers through his hair, wondering what the hell to do now.

____________________________________________________________________

His answer to the problem would be to ignore it as much as he could, at least for now. He would consider it later, when it was a more pressing issue, because right now he had far more important things to do. His new job at ACME had him on thrilling adventures and high-speed car chases and everything the former Interpol agent could ever want in his life.

With his sights set on capturing the elusive Carmen Sandiego, he had all but forgotten that he was pregnant.

It was a rude awakening whenever another spot of morning sickness came along to interrupt his day, but for the most part, he was able to suffer in private. Today was not going to be one of those days.

“You’ll be heading to America today. The flight is already booked.” Said the holographic image of the Chief emanating from the communicator pen.

“We have detected some suspicious activity that may be the result of VILE, and as such, we think Carmen may show herself.”

“What sort of suspicious activity?” Agent Julia questioned, always seeking more information.

“Shipments of crates of unknown content coming into the country. We have yet to uncover what’s inside, but we’ve managed to track them to their destination.”

“Could it be that Carmen intends to steal the contents of the crates?” Julia theorised. There was a brief pause in the conversation, and for a moment the two of them were silent, as if expecting something. Both were confused, until it clicked at the same time for them, there was none of the usual interjection from Chase. No “nonsense!” or “Carmen is clearly working for the bad guys!”

“Agent Devineaux? Are you alright?” The Chief asked, having now turned her attention to the unusually silent man.

“Inspector? You’re looking a little green…” Julia added with a hint of concern in her voice.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, I just…” Chase said as he waves them off, trying to keep his macho air, but he trails off as he tries to fight the rising puke in his throat. His eyes go wide and a hand clasps against his mouth, to no effect. He darts off to the nearest bathroom.

After emptying his stomach of what had been an excellent meal, he silently curses the bundle of cells growing within him, his situation, and his past careless self. Sheepishly, he makes his way back to the meeting.

“Agent, do you need..-?” The Chief is cut off by a hand wave of dismissal.

“I’m fine. Sorry, where are we going again? What dastardly thing is Carmen Sandiego up to now?!”

The two women glanced at each other, but with their agent seemingly back to his normal self, they moved on. It was certainly an odd occurrence, but one that the two women didn’t pay much mind to, and it was eventually completely forgotten about. Everybody gets sick sometimes.

Chase made sure to be more careful from now on. He took meds to help alleviate the worst of the morning sickness, and after just over three months, he was glad when the vomiting finally stopped. It finally felt like he could live his life normally again.

That is, between all the missions ACME had him out to do. The job in America was a resounding success for the agency; they had uncovered important plans of VILE’s and put a stop to it before it hurt anybody. However, Chase considered it a personal failure. Carmen Sandiego was still at large.

____________________________________________________________________

More months go by, and the little problem within Chase is all but forgotten about. It becomes impossible to just forget about it when his little problem becomes not-so-little. He first notices it one morning as he’s readying himself for work, when his usual shirt isn’t fitting as well as it used to. His first immediate concern is that he’s putting weight on, until he remembers the whole pregnancy thing going on.

Looking in the full-body mirror and turning to the side, he can definitely see it now. A little bump out in his lower belly. How had he only just noticed? He gives it a tender touch with his finger tips. An indescribable feeling boiled up in his chest, a whole turmoil of emotions that he simply didn’t have time to unpack right now. He had to get ready for work.

Work started to get a little awkward over the next couple of months. He hoped that nobody would notice his growing midsection, and for the first few weeks, everything seemed to be fine. But when his shirts grew too tight to even button up properly, or would roll up and show a strip of skin at the bottom, he knew something had to change. He opted to remove button-ups from his day-to-day wear, instead going for a stretchy shirt or loose turtleneck. Luck seemed to be on his side; the colder seasons were rolling in, and there wasn’t an ounce of suspicion for his wardrobe change.

But in the end, even that couldn’t hide it forever. Every day he would look at himself topless in the mirror, noting his growing belly. It protruded out about 5 inches now. It was obvious even with his baggiest turtleneck on. He hoped it could pass as just a bit of weight gain or even a beer belly, although the thought of people thinking that mortified him. He was _Chase Devineaux_! He had the sculpted body of an agent, not some aging man who was letting himself go! Still, he supposed that that was better than people knowing he was pregnant.

He could feel their glances, sometimes. The Chief, the other agents, and _god_ , Jules and her prying, curious, intelligent gaze… All he could do was shy away, tug at his coat to try and hide it, but he sensed by her embarrassed reaction that all he achieved was drawing more attention to it.

Regardless, nobody commented on it. Nobody knew the truth. That was the most important part.

____________________________________________________________________

It would be a while until there was any more explicit activity from VILE. It was a very careful organisation indeed, and pretty much the only trail ACME could follow was Carmen Sandiego, so agents would often be sent out just to try and spot any sign of her telltale red coat and hat. It was the most boring part of Chase’s job for sure. He only got himself through the day by imagining catching a sight of her and finally managing to capture her. At the very least, he had his partner, Julia, for company.

In his earlier days, he would have been almost tackling any woman wearing red. Even now, seeing an outfit resembling Carmen’s would have him perking up like a dog sighting a squirrel. Now, he would take a second to properly examine the outfit before leaping to conclusions. Julia hoped that maybe he was finally growing a brain cell or two. In reality, lately he was feeling… sluggish. He wanted to conserve as much energy as he could for the _real_ chase.

The two were sitting at an outdoor cafe on the streets of Paris. Chase lazily looked around, eyes peeled for any sight of red. It had been a long and boring day of wandering the city to no avail.

“I wonder what VILE’s next move will be… Will they be trying to steal more priceless treasures? Capturing a president? Poisoning the water supply?” Julia mused, mostly to herself, because she knew Chase wasn’t listening. “What are their overall goals? I just don’t understand…”

“Ugh, that’s it, I’m ordering a croissant.” Chase grumbled, finally giving into the scent around him.

“What? We ate just 15 minutes ago…” Julia mumbled in confusion, and was met with a glare.

“Getting judgy, Miss Argent?!” Chase snapped. He was too hungry and his back was aching too much to be dealing with this. His sudden turn of attitude caught Julia off-guard, and she could only stammer. She wondered if his grumpiness was due to the lack of action, but thankfully he seemed to be in better spirits once his croissant was before him.

As he ate, one hand rested against his round belly, which he knew Julia wouldn’t be able to see with the table in the way. He could feel a flurry of small kicks against his fingers, and had to hold back his smile. _Excited for the croissant, little one? Just like papa…_

Speaking of Julia, she seemed to have gone quiet. He turned his attention to her. He couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for snapping. Guilty, even. Especially with that sad little face, how she curled in on herself to make herself look smaller. _Curse these hormones._ “What.. was that, you were mumbling about? About VILE…?”

She glanced up at him, peering through those huge glasses of hers. “Um… I was just pondering what their goals are… If you think about it, their actions don’t seem to connect in any way.” She starts.

“Clearly, it’s because they just want to do evil, in whatever way they can!” He said with a scoff.

Julia paused for a moment. “I suppose so… But it just feels strange. Why would they create such a high-tech, secretive organisation… Just to steal a bunch of paintings?” It all felt like there had to be some grander picture, some overarching goal that VILE had in mind? Could it really all just be for fun?

A part of Chase regretted starting her up again, he could feel a rant coming on. He began to zone her out. With his croissant finished, he had nothing to distract his mind, so he just stared out at nothing and ran circles into his belly with his fingertips, trying to elicit more movements out of his child.

“Chase? Hey, that you? No way, what a coincidence!”

That brought him out of his trance. That voice… No, it can’t be…

He looked up, and there _he_ was. The handsome devil, the one-night stand, the cursed man who got him pregnant.

“Um, sorry, we’re kind of discussing important work, can you play catch-up later?” Julia told the man, but Chase but on his feet in an instance. They never saved contacts after that night, and this was his only chance to tell him..!

“You!” He snapped. The other man recoiled in surprise at his harsh tone.

“Inspector Devineaux..!” Jules muttered, with a hint of annoyance and even betrayal. Chase spared a glance her way, before grabbing the wrist of the handsome devil and dragging him away for a private chat.

“Woah, man, what’s the deal?!” He yelped as he was forced through a busy street and around a corner. Chase grinded his teeth, how could a man that damn sexy have such an annoying voice? He threw him against a wall and glared, then let out a sigh, trying to calm himself and not blame him for this situation.

“Ugh. Listen, that… _that_ night…” Chase growled low, then glanced around, half suspecting Julia to be prying with all of her.. Prying-ness!

“What’s the issue? Calm down, I thought the night went well, what’s gotten you so worked up?!” He responded, hands up in defense.

Chase facepalmed. God, yes, the night went _very_ well… At first!

“What’s the issue?! _That’s_ the issue!”

The man’s eyes followed down to where Chase pointed, to his midsection that pressed tightly against his coat, and his jaw dropped. There was a moment of stunned silence, then he slid across the wall to escape, shaking his head.

“Ohhh no, no no no, that wasn’t me! That- that’s someone else… that did that!” He stammered. Chase stared at him, then opened his mouth to respond, only for the man to turn on his heels and flee.

“Hey! Get back here!”

Chase gave chase, running as best as he could while weighed down with child, through the tight alleyways of the city. They ducked and dived past dumpster bins, people, and around corners, and soon Chase emerged out onto the main street again. He paused to catch his breath, then looked around and cursed. He lost him. He held onto a hand railing and panted, a hand now going to his heavy belly. Curses, why was he so sluggish and tired lately?! He used to be able to run for miles, and now… Well, now he was pregnant. Of course. A twinge of pain made him wince, and he realised that he really shouldn’t be running around unnecessarily like that. He tried to rub his belly to soothe the pain away.

“Inspector! Are you alright, what happened?”

The sound of Julia’s voice made him jolt and he snapped at her. “It was nothing! Forget about it, I..” He had to pause to breathe. Julia no doubt noticed that he was out of breath. Worried that she would notice more, he tugged at his coat to hide his hanging belly, more noticeable than ever now that he was doubled over in pain.

“Who was that? A criminal?” She asked, ever curious.

“It was nobody, stop prying!” Chase grumbled. “Ugh, I’m going to get a snack, I’m hungry!” He turned and stormed away. This time, Julia didn’t make a comment on it, fearing even more snappiness, although she was left confused at the whole situation.

Then, she remembered their mission. “W-wait! Inspector!”

But, he was already gone.

____________________________________________________________________

The very next day, they were sent out again to continue their search for Carmen Sandiego. Much to Chase’s relief, Julia hadn’t mentioned at all to the Chief how he had abandoned yesterday’s mission. As much as her incessant whining and curiosity was annoying, she was still a wonderful partner, who had his back even after everything he had done to disrespect her.

As they strolled along the streets, the downpour hitting Chase’s umbrella, he was lost in his thoughts. He was never one to dwell on past things, so he couldn’t for the life of him understand why now his train of thought was locked onto the many times he had dismissed her, brushed her aside, made her feel small and insignificant.

Maybe it was something to do with the miserable, grey weather. Maybe it was his back constantly aching and him desperately wanting to just sit down with a nice coffee, but tonight was a bad night. A ball of emotions gripped at his heart, his chest strained to keep it all contained. He wanted nothing more than to just cry.

Julia was silent. Chase wondered if she felt as miserable as he did right now, or if she was busy ranting with herself in her mind about whatever it was VILE was up to, as he imagined she would. Suddenly, he felt himself lurch forward, tripped right out of his thoughts. He managed to catch himself, and he turned to glare at the assailant; a cardboard box, soaked through with the rain. Why was the world out to make his night a living hell?! Why was every little thing getting to him? “Stupid thing..!” He hissed, rearing his foot back to kick it in frustration, only to be stopped by Jules who rushed in between them.

“Wait!” She crouched down and lifted one of the flaps to peer inside. Curiously, Chase leaned over her to take a peek too. Inside, a single puppy, shivering and curled up in the corner. “Poor thing..” Jules mumbled. She looked up at Chase. “Should we call a shelter?”

Chase looked at the puppy, then quickly to the side. Who could do such a cruel thing, to abandon a puppy out in this storm? He could feel his emotions erupting out of him now, and bit down on his shaking lip to hold back a sob. The tears, however, he could not quell. He thrust his umbrella over to Jules, then leant down and scooped the poor pup up before she could notice his face. He tucked the pup away into his coat, holding it close to his chest to warm it.

Julia couldn’t help but wonder what had Chase moving so… cautiously? No, that wasn’t the right word, but she just couldn’t place why it seemed like he moved so slowly lately, especially when crouching and getting back up again. It just wasn’t like him at all. And, not only that, but his whole posture had changed too. He was always hunched over, instead of standing straight-backed and proud, always hiding himself. It must be insecurity, she thought, about the “weight” he was gaining.

Chase moved on without a word. He was sure his voice would betray him and alert his observant assistant that he was upset. At the very least, abandoning his umbrella had played off; with his face dripping with rain, the tears would blend in very well. All he had to do was keep a tight lip and choke back his sobs. He cursed himself and these absurd emotions. He was a manly man! He wouldn’t cry over an abandoned puppy!

Julia looked at his face a moment too long, and for a moment she looked confused, before quickly looking away and following him.

Neither said a word for several moments, until Julia stopped them. “Let me take the pup, I’ll run over to the shelter. I think it’s about time to call this a day anyway.” She said.

Chase sighed. Another boring day goes by with no sign of the red thief. He took the pup out, which was concerningly quiet, and handed it over. “I think I’ll take another look around.” He said. Julia just nodded and left him behind. He took a moment to just stand there, calming himself. He was thankful that his emotions seem to have gotten themselves under control again.

He walked aimlessly for a short while, before stepping inside a mall to escape the rain, which by now had penetrated all through his coat and soaked him to the bone. It was getting late, so many shops were starting to close and there were few people still around. He began to walk, with no goal in mind, just alone with his thoughts.

He passed by a clothing store and something caught his eye through the window. He stopped and backtracked to take another glance. He was frozen for a moment, then gave in to the call and entered the store. He approached the rack and took the tiny onesie off to take a closer look. It was for a baby, with the design of a cartoon character that Chase had grown up with. His heart melted at the thought of his baby in this. Then, he looked to the side and saw shoes so tiny it blew his mind. How adorable! He browsed, just imagining all the cute little outfits he could put his baby in, when it hit him all of a sudden. _His_ baby. He looked down and put a hand to his midsection. 5 inches had turned into 7 in what seemed like a blink of an eye. It dawned on him just how far along he was getting, and he hadn’t even prepared a single thing! No clothes, no furniture, nothing at all! Not even names!

The reality of the situation all came crashing down on him. This was too soon. He wasn’t ready for this. All of a sudden, the emotions he thought he had tamed began to go wild again. He quickly made his escape to a changing room and sat down. Finally, he let it out.

He sobbed and wept, from a whole variety of emotions all overwhelming him at once. Fear, confusion, excitement and joy, anxiety…

He hated to cry in public, but right now, it just felt good to let it all out, especially after bottling up his emotions all day. It felt good to just take a moment to finally acknowledge that this is happening, that this is _real_ , and to unpack all the things he’s been feeling.

He sniffed and wiped his eyes, calming down as he collected his thoughts. Was he going to keep the baby or not? Abortion was out of the question now, it was just too far along… And he was too attached. He smiled faintly as he imagined himself as a father, raising a child, celebrating birthdays, playing in the park with them… Did he want to be a dad? Yes, he did, he knew that just from how bubbly his heart felt whenever he tried to imagine his life as one.

But was he ready to be one? Could he do this alone, now that baby daddy had up and run away? Could he risk his job, his _dream_ job, that he practically _just_ got, to raise a child?

That certainly complicated matters. Being a part of ACME was a huge part of his life and he would never, ever give that up for anything. Plus, it was a dangerous job, completely unsuited to lifestyle as a father. He had yet to even tell anyone, except for the man responsible, but should he even go through the trouble of explaining his personal business if he wasn’t even certain he would keep the baby?

He thumped his head against the stall wall. Why did life have to be so complicated? And why did this have to happen at the worst possible time in his life?!

He let out a sigh. He was no closer to deciding where to take this, but at least now he had unjumbled some of the chaos in his mind.

Realising by now that he had hogged the stall far too long, and that the shop was probably trying to close, he gathered himself and took his leave.

Later that week, he would cave, and returned to the store to buy some clothes for his baby. His home began to fill steadily with toys and baby furniture that he ordered online. But, for the most part, he put off trying to think too much about it, and returned his focus to his job.

He was also surprised when he came to work one day and found a familiar puppy at his desk, tearing up some important documents. He could only blink in confusion, until Julia rushed in and scooped the pup up. “Sorry, sir!” She said hastily as she corrected her glasses. “I, uh, it turns out I adopted the puppy we found! Heh… I’m thinking about training her, she would become such a great agent dog, don’t you think, sir?”

The pup yipped and licked at Julia’s face, who giggled and adjusted her glasses yet again. Chase shook his head. “Tch, a dog? If I could have a loyal ACME pet, it’d be something cool, like… a falcon, or something!” Whatever, just keep the mutt away from my desk, Agent Argent.”

“Y-yes, Inspector! Sorry!”

____________________________________________________________________

Their latest mission had them in the mountains. Chase couldn’t care less about whatever VILE was up to. ACME had been tracking this scenario for a while, and now, finally, finally it was time to strike! Chase never felt more ready to take down his nemesis, the blasted red thief, Carmen Sandiego!

Julia was quickly running over the details. Activity has been going on here for a while, something about some precious minerals, a sudden surge of activity that suggests something big… blah, blah, blah. It was all white noise to Chase.

“Yes, yes, whatever. What about Carmen Sandiego?! Where does she fit into this?” He pressed.

Julia gave him that look. That look of being pushed aside, of being silenced, yet again. “We don’t know. We suspect she’ll make an appearance, she’s been playing it low for a while now. Like she’s waiting for something…”

“Good. This time, for sure, I will capture her and bring her in!” Chase boasted, full of fire. Julia was glad to see him back like this again. It was a degree of normalcy after his recent moodiness.

Together, they approached the location, and ducked behind a rocky outcropping to take a look. Julia took out her high-tech goggles to get a closer look. All Chase could see from this distance was a black building and what looked like several large crates and container bins. Definitely looked like evil and suspicious activity for sure. “What do you see?” He asked.

“There’s a lot of guards around. Armed. And I see...-”

“Carmen Sandiego?!”

“...No. I see a woman who has been identified as a VILE operative. She’s talking to someone…”

Julia fiddled with her goggles for a moment and leaned in, watching keenly. Just then, she let out a gasp.

“There! Carmen Sandiego!”

Chase perked up like a dog presented with bacon. “Let me see!” He snapped as he reached for the goggles. Julia backed away, fighting him for a moment.

“Sir…!” She tried, but he eventually wrestled the goggles out of her hands with a victorious smirk. However, when he looked through, all he could see was a bunch of knocked-out guards, and not a sign of red anywhere. He let out a frustrated groan and dumped the goggles. He heaved himself up and made a run for the base.

“Sir!” Julia let out an exasperated cry, then followed after him. Normally, she would struggle to keep up with the lanky man, but she found herself catching up to him quite easily. The two sprinted down the hill and came to the scene. Julia looked around. “What happened?” She knelt to examine one of the fallen bodyguards. Blunt force trauma to the head; he was out cold.

“Sandiego must already be inside!” Chase barked as he was already leaving Jules behind in the dust. He burst into the building and looked around. More knocked out guards. Chase took out his weapon and crept along the corridor, ready for action. He leapt around the corner, gun at the ready, but there was not a soul in sight.

There was a grunt and a thump from somewhere in the establishment, and Chase took off again, following the sound through a doorway. A guard was slumped against the wall, and another soon to join. A flash of red had his pulse speeding up. “Carmen Sandiego! You are under arrest!” He cried out, and the woman in red turned to look at him. She wasted no time and darted off through a door to the right, and Chase followed.

He had already lost sight of her by the time he reached the door, and sprint-waddled as fast as he could down the corridor and around the corner. A sudden pain in his side had him stopping and catching onto the wall with a gasp. What was that, a cramp?! Now is not the time! He gritted his teeth and picked up the pace again.

He entered into a large room, full of computers and… computery-things. Chase wouldn’t be able to tell what half of this stuff was even if he had bothered to pay attention, because all of his focus was on the red thief before him. She was slipping something away into her coat. Stealing something valuable, no doubt!

“Stop right there!” He took a step forward. She glanced over her shoulder and smirked.

“Did you trip on the way?” She mocked. He growled and started to reach for his cuffs, but of course, Carmen would never make it easy for him, and she was on the run again.

Chase wasn’t sure how long he could keep this up. He was out of breath so easily now, what with a whole person growing inside him and taking up all of the space for his lungs. He followed Carmen out of the back exit and watched as she hopped on her motorcycle and took off.

“No!”

He ran after her, back up the hill and towards the road, when his eyes lit up. All he needed to do was make it to the car, and he could keep up with her with ease! The newfound hope had him fired up and he sped up, struggling and wheezing up the hill and scrambling to get into the car. Once in his seat, he slammed on the pedals and shot off.

Chase leaned forward, gripping the steering wheel tight in his sweaty hands, and a grin spread across his face. Nothing was more thrilling than a high-speed car chase, and especially on a winding, narrow, cliff road! The red blip in the distance became larger and more clear as he caught up, but soon his presence was noticed, and Carmen also pressed harder to speed up.

Chase could match her speed in the high-tech ACME car, skidding dangerously fast around the bends in the mountain road to make sure he wouldn’t let his target slip away this time. A tension began to grow in his belly, then gripped at him with vice-like pain, and he tensed up and hissed through his teeth. He couldn’t focus much on it, and had to keep his eyes on the road and his target. Thankfully, the pain passed after a few seconds, but it had him wondering what that was.

Surely not a contraction…?

Except, several minutes later, he was hit with another, that had him doubling over the wheel and groaning. He knew for sure what it was now. He had felt Braxton Hicks for a few weeks now, and they felt nothing like this shooting pain.

No, this can’t be happening, not now, not when his target is so close…! It’s just not possible! Just how far along was he? Wasn’t his meeting with that handsome devil about 7 months ago…? No, wait, that was that _other_ handsome devil… Either way, he was certain this was too soon! Right…? Or, was it…?

With his jaw tense, he tried desperately to stay focused on the task at hand, groaning through the waves of pain and being more careful around tight bends. He saw Carmen getting further away. She was getting away..!

_Augh!_

He tenses up as his abdomen contracted in harshly, and the car swerved slightly. Panicked from the sharp pains, and from driving so close to the edge of a cliff, he hit the brakes and slowed down, then pulled aside off the road. He watched as his target made her escape, looking back at him over her shoulder, before speeding off. He slammed his fist against the steering wheel and let out a shout of frustration and anger. Why... Why now..!

His forehead bumped against the steering wheel, and for a moment he stayed like that, head down and defeated. Then, that sharp pain kicked in again, and he grunted. That turned into a cry as the pain twisted in his gut and intensified. He felt a pressure building in his hips, and suddenly had an urge to get out of this damn seat and walk. He unclipped his seatbelt and stepped out cautiously, holding onto the car door for dear life. His knees trembled, The movement of him standing up caused the pressure to move even lower.

He focused on his breathing, in, out, slow and steady. The sound of tires screeching made him look up, and he saw Julia skid to a halt on a bike that looks like it was taken from the VILE hideout. He was relieved to have the car door in between them.

“Inspector! What happened? Are you-?”

“Go! She’s, nngh.. getting away!”

“Sir? But…”

" _Go!_ ”

The insistence in his voice surprised her, and she hung there for a moment with her mouth open, then nodded and sped off onto the road again. Chase breathes out a breath of relief.

Feeling respite from the contractions, he took to pacing around a bit. It helped him take his mind off of things, rather than sitting around and waiting for the next wave to hit. He made sure to cling close to the cliff face or the car, ready to have something to lean on when the next contraction hit.

An hour went by, and Chase could feel the contractions getting closer together, and lasting longer and longer each time. It was more than a little bit concerning. It came to a point where it was just too painful to stand. Each contraction felt like a stab to the guts and had him crying out to the heavens. He meekly hunkered himself down with his back against the cliff.

 _Breathe, Chase… In, out, in, out, you’ve got this, you’re Chase freakin’ Devineaux…!_ He thought to himself, trying to keep himself sane through all the agony. Both hands went to his belly and rubbed the sides, trying to ease the pain just a little. It seemed to help, until the next contraction came and he realised nothing in the world could help ease this unbelievable agony. He arched his back and cried out, gripping and tugging at his coat as he writhed.

He wondered if he was doomed to give birth on this dirty road in the middle of nowhere, all alone. The dread sent him into a cold sweat. This was all going terribly wrong. How the hell would he explain this one?! People don’t just _forget_ a pregnancy for the whole 9 months!

Another wave of pain gripped his abdomen, and his fears started to become more real as the growing pressure in his hips suddenly popped, and he felt fluid soak his trousers. “Oh, _merde_ , oh no, no…” He could only pathetically whimper, panic setting in.

A motorcycle pulled up near him, and a spike of adrenaline shot through his body when he saw the bike adorned with the logo of VILE. Two feet landed on the ground and began to approach, and he looked up to see Jules. Oh, thank the heavens.

Oh, no, that’s worse, actually!

“Carmine got away, I’m sorry, sir!” She started, but quickly noticed that something was wrong. She darted and knelt by his side. “Inspector? Are you alright?!” She looked down at him, laying, panting and sweating in the dirt, hands on the round belly that he no longer made any attempt to hide, and his soaked thighs spread apart...

It all began to dawn on her.

Of course, it all made sense, looking back. The oversized clothes to poorly hide his “weight gain”, the mood swings, the vomiting spells, the unusual sloppiness in his work (even for him!)…

“You’re… pregnant…” She muttered.

“Aaugh!! Not.. for long..!” Chase cried out as a particularly harsh contraction hit, making him curl up and whine.

Her eyes went wide and she leapt to her feet. “We have to get you to a hospital! Can you walk?”

Chase hissed harshly through his teeth, in, out, until the terrible pain let up.

“O-of course I can..!” He snapped.

Julia could see him severely struggling to stand, grabbing the rocks and trembling as he attempted to heave himself up, so she came to his side and hooked under his arm to help him up. After a strenuous battle, he was finally on his feet, and they took one step at a time towards the car. “Almost there, sir…” Julia gently encouraged.

She helped him into the back seat of the car, and he let out a sigh of relief to be off his feet again. She hopped in the driver’s seat and started the car up.

They drove along the mountain road for several minutes. Julia was silent for the most part, glancing up at the mirror to check up on him every few seconds. He panted and heaved and grunted through contraction after contraction. “Hang in there, sir…” She said softly.

Suddenly, the interface beeped. Chief was calling in for an update. Jules took the call, and the screen lit up with her image.

“How goes the investigation?” The Chief asked.

“Carmen Sandiego escaped, and she took with her all of the files from the database, but we arrested several VILE operatives and put a stop to their operation.” Julia reviewed. This news pleased the Chief.

Chase had been desperately trying to lay low and keep his mouth shut. He didn’t know if the Chief could also see them through the screen, he had no idea how this dang technology worked. However, the strongest contraction yet seized his body, and he could not hold back his scream.

“What’s going on back there?” The Chief seemed to glance towards Chase and he ducked behind Julia’s chair.

“Um, I’m driving Agent Devineaux to the hospital, boss.” Julia peeped.

“Is it serious?”

“...I think he’ll be fine. I’ll have to call you back later.” She said and quickly hung up before the Chief asked too many questions. She couldn’t for the life of her understand why Chase would keep something so huge a secret for so long, but it was pretty clear that these would be questions best saved for later.

Julia took a turn down the mountain, heading towards the city. Even now, Chase peered out the window, trying to spot any sign of red and wondering which way Carmen Sandiego must have gone. She was quickly forgotten about as pain turned his attention back to his situation.

10 minutes go by as they approach the city. Chase cried out at each contraction, and Julia never stopped flicking her eyes between the road and up at the mirror. She was trying to stay calm, but could feel her palms sweating. Or, was that sweat left over from Chase? Gross.

“Go… faster…” He grunted out.

“Sir? But, I’m already pushing it…”

“Faster!” He let out a wail as unbearable pain pierced his abdomen. He gripped onto his belly and could feel it contracting in, the mound felt tense and solid.

Jules gulped and pressed down on the pedal, even though these narrow roads made her incredibly anxious. She tried not to focus on it, and thankfully, as they reached lower altitudes, the road widened and straightened out.

“We’re almost to the city.” She told him. “Breathe, Chase…”

Chase had been heaving in a panic, and her comment made him realise this. He sucked in air and tried to control his breathing, but his stress was soaring the more he felt the pressure moving lower.

“Oh, merde, _merde_ , Jules, help..!” He yelped out suddenly. Her eyes went wide.

“I.. I’m sorry, sir, there’s not much I can do..!” She said, already doing the best she could.

The contraction only grew stronger, and he balled up his fist and slammed it against the window without thinking. The loud thump made her startle, and her gasp made him realise what he had done. He thanked the stars these ACME cars were built to sustain practically anything.

He started to slide lower and lower in his seat. It just hurt way too much to be sitting upright now, and he had the urge to spread his legs and push. With his lanky legs, there wasn’t much room for him in this position, and his knee jabbed into the back of Julia’s seat. It was highly uncomfortable for her, but she said nothing, knowing it doesn’t even come close to what Chase is feeling right now. She had nothing but sympathy for him.

Tears flooded his eyes as he restrained from pushing, fighting his own body’s urges. From his low position, Chase couldn’t see much out the window, but the tops of buildings going past was enough reassurance that they were in the city, and surely the hospital wouldn’t be too far now.

But even so, he wasn’t sure if he could hold out that long. Not when each contraction came bearing down on him like the weight of a house crumbling on top of him, and he could feel himself tensing up to push despite every inch of willpower begging himself to stop. Trembling hands went to his belt and fumbled with it, and Jules could hear the panicked movements. She watched in the mirror as he hastily battled his pants off, and gasped in shock and looked away quickly. The last thing she wanted to see right now was her superior’s genitals.

“C-can you really not hold it in?” She asked. When the only reply she got was a scream, she gulped. “Should I pull over?”

Chase gasped for air. He couldn’t even tell how low the baby was, but it felt _low_. He slipped two fingers in to check. He could only get to the first joint before he was met with an obstruction. “Oh, merde..!” He whispered. He was sure they wouldn’t make it to the hospital on time. “K-keep driving, Jules..!”

She nodded and sped down the road, until coming to a stop at a red light. She anxiously tapped the steering wheel as she watched the busy intersection, silently in a panic. The screams in the back do nothing to ease her worries, as Chase pushed with all his might, no longer caring about trying to hold back, he wanted this over right now. All Julia can do is give the occasional words of encouragement, watching as lights ever-so-slowly changed from red to green to red around the intersection.

Once their light turns green, she slams on the pedals. She sees a sign for the hospital and swerves to the left so harshly it almost sends Chase through the window.

“ _Merde_ , Jules, you drive like.. Like a maniac..!” He hisses.

“Sorry!”

Chase could feel the head starting to crown. The searing pain of his hole being stretched so wide is worse than anything else he’s ever felt in his whole life. Not even a bullet compares to this. Tears blur his vision, and the world dissolves around him as he wails, pushing with all his might to try and get this over with quickly. Right as they pull into the hospital parking, the head pops free, and Chase gasps and holds onto it. He smiles as tears roll freely down his cheeks, seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Almost there..!

Julia haphazardly parks across two spaces and flies out of her seat, coming to Chase’s door and opening it. Her eyes go wide when she sees the head already out. “Can you walk?” She asks. Chase can only shake his head no. “O-okay. I’ll go get help!” She turns and sprints towards the hospital.

Feeling awkwardly exposed, Chase attempts to reach out and grab the door handle. He has to hang himself out of the car to reach it, and manages to close the door again. He sighs in relief, taking a moment of respite, with his baby’s head in his hand. He suddenly recalls something about the umbilical cord sometimes wrapping around the baby’s neck. Is that even a real thing that he has to worry about? He checks the neck and feels nothing, and he’s relieved he doesn’t have to deal with it. As much as he would like to just rest right now, his body has other ideas, and he can feel another contraction building.

_Okay, Chase, just one last big push..!_

He cries out to the heavens, straining to get the shoulders out. It feels stuck for a moment, and Chase almost sobs in despair that he won’t be able to do this, until suddenly, the baby pops free with a gush of fluid. He gasps, surprised by how quick the baby shot out suddenly, and struggles to keep a grip with how wet and slippery it is. He holds the baby against his thigh and forces himself to sit up into a better position so he can take it with both hands and bring it up to his chest. Finally, he goes limp, eyes closed. He grins, overwhelmed with joy and relief. He takes a breather, only to realise that he seems to be the only one doing that.

Panic sends a cold sweat over his body as he looks down at his quiet baby. “Come on, breathe, little one...” He whispers. Concern takes over, he has no idea what to do at this point, and gently rocks and bounces them. “Come on..!”

When that doesn’t seem to work, he takes the baby down to his lap, laying them face down, and keeps patting and rubbing their back until they cough and splutter, then start to wail. Chase wipes a tear away and smiles. “That’s it, there you go, get some air in those lungs..!” He encourages. Once he’s satisfied that baby can breathe on their own, he lets out a short sigh. What a day…

A concern enters his mind that his baby might be cold. He wiggles himself out of his coat and uses it to bundle up the babe, and brings them once more to his chest to rest.

He feels his eyes slipping closed until he hears rushed footsteps approaching and looks to the window to see Julia with two doctors. She opens the door and looks down at the little babe.

“Oh, Inspector, they’re beautiful..!”

“Congratulations! Let’s get you both inside, where you’ll be more comfortable, hm?” One of the doctors says. Chase nods, but hesitates when he sees the doctor extending her hands to take the baby from him. He gives it up after a moment, and the other one helps him up and into a wheelchair. He’s much happier once baby is back in his arms and he’s covered up.

As he’s being wheeled into the hospital, Chase only has eyes for the sweet baby in his arms. So incredibly tiny..! They continue to kick their limbs out and cry, and he bounces them in his arms, whispering soft nothings in French, and kissing their forehead. He’s never been so simultaneously exhausted and overjoyed in his life.

He gets hurriedly wheeled into a room and helped into bed. Once he’s told that he has to keep pushing to deal with the afterbirth, dread sets in once more. _What do you mean we’re not done?!_ Much to his relief, the placenta feels like practically nothing compared to birthing the baby. The baby once again gets taken away from him to be cleaned and taken care of and have their vitals checked, and Chase anxiously awaits for them to be returned.

When they’re finally back in his arms, the doctor who handed them over speaks up. “She’s a little underweight, but her vitals are good, and she seems fine enough on her own. Just make sure to regulate her temperature and bring her in for frequent check-ups, okay?”

Chase could almost cry. “She..?” He realises he never even thought to check, he had been so overwhelmed at the time.

The doctor could see that he was still feeling a bit overwhelmed and emotional right now. “I’ll leave you both to settle down for now.” With that, she takes her leave.

Chase carefully pulled the blanket down to get a better look at his daughter’s face. She was sleeping now, and was the most beautiful thing in the whole damn world.

He brought a hand to his mouth to cover up the escaping sob. There was a knock on the door, and he quickly wiped his eyes and steeled himself. Julia entered.

“Congratulations, sir! What a beautiful baby.” She said as she came to get a better look.

Chase was silent for a moment, sheepishly looking away. He couldn’t even imagine what he must have put Julia through with his reckless behaviour. “Um… Thank you, Miss Argent. For everything. You’ve… been a huge help.” He said quietly.

Julia was more than a little bit surprised, and the embarrassment Chase felt by humbling himself to say this was well worth the bright smile on her face. She knew he must still be hormonal and emotional, but hearing some recognition and praise from him for once was amazing.

“It was nothing, sir. So, what’s her name?”

The question was met with a blank stare.

“Uh…”

Julie wondered if he seriously spent the whole pregnancy ignoring it, how else can he not have come up with a name yet? How careless can one man be?!

“I… Have ideas, but I haven’t decided.” He said sheepishly. “Would it.. Would it be weird to name her after my arch-nemesis, do you think..?”

Julia stared at him for a full three seconds, trying to spy any hint of it being a joke.

“...I don’t want to be rude, sir, but… Don’t you think you might be a little obsessed with Carmen Sandiego?”

Chase laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to play it off as a joke. It was a poor attempt that Julia saw right through. She shook her head and moved on.

“Why did you hide this for so long, Chase?” Julia asked. A part of her was hurt, even, that he couldn’t even seem to trust his partner with this.

Chase shrunk away, unable to look her in the eyes. It was complicated. It was all far too complicated.

Julia could only guess that it was hard for him to open up about personal business like this. She couldn’t imagine his world.

“You look exhausted. I’ll leave you to rest, you deserve it.”

Chase nodded in agreement, but instead looked down to admire his baby some more. Now that he was calming down and settled, and finally alone, he came to the realisation that now he had to make a decision- his child, or his job? He couldn’t imagine giving either of them up. Both meant the entire world to him.

Unbeknownst to him, the decision had already been made for him.

____________________________________________________________________

“But, Chief, you can’t!” Julia pleaded.

The holographic image emanating from the pen shook her head. The blue glow lit up the entire supply room Julia had slipped away into.

“He needlessly jeopardized the mission, his life, and the life of an unborn baby by keeping this hidden from me. Not only that, but he’s reckless, thoughtless, and destructive of ACME property. He’s a liability. He’s definitely not the sort of agent we want working for ACME.” The Chief said.

Julia paused. She definitely couldn’t deny all of that. “But… He makes up for it with fire and determination. I’ve worked with him for years and I’ve never seen anyone so passionate about their job before.”

“Julia, listen. You’re a fiercely loyal assistant. Any agent would be lucky to have you at their side. But Agent Devineaux needs to go.”

Jules deflated. There was no winning this battle. “At the very least… Don’t fire him immediately. It’ll break his heart. Don’t ruin this day for him.”

The Chief sighed. “...Fine. He will get to enjoy his paternity leave, but after that, he’ll be back to a desk job at Interpol.”

The Chief’s hologram vanished, and Julia collected the pen with a heavy heart knowing what will come for Chase.

____________________________________________________________________

Chase awoke with a start. The room was dark, and he had no idea what time it was. He must have fallen asleep soon after Julia left. He patted his chest and panicked when he couldn’t feel his baby, and looked around, squinting in the darkness. There, he saw her, peacefully in her crib, and he sighed in relief.

A movement by the door caught his eye. He looked over just in time to see a flash of a long red coat leaving. Time seemed to freeze.

“ _LA FEMME ROUGE!_ ”

He made a move to get up and run, only for a stabbing pain in his abdomen to stop him. He hesitated, knowing he could power through, but then he looked over to his sweet little daughter. Maybe… maybe, just this once, he could let Carmen escape.


End file.
